FOR THE past several years, Korean universities have been facing an enrollment crisis. University enrollment is down across the board, with even prestigious institutions being unable to fill out some of their majors. With the ripple effects set to impact not only students and universities but also entire regions, the Korean government is rushing to enact appropriate reforms. The Yonsei Annals examines the status quo, causes, and implications of low enrollment, as well as potential solutions to this issue. 

The status quo of low university enrollment

   The present enrollment crisis first reared its head back in 2021, when Korean universities failed to fill their overall student quota for the first time in history. The seriousness of the issue is further exacerbated considering the fact that the quota itself, which is 541,089 students for 2023, has been steadily declining since it peaked in 2003 with a whopping 650,000[1]. It is expected that only 430,000 students out of 510,884 available slots will enroll in university by 2024, leading to an unprecedented 80,000-student enrollment shortage[2].

   Regional universities outside of Seoul and major cities have been hit particularly hard. Indeed, out of 68 universities nationwide that failed to meet enrollment goals, 59 are located in areas outside of key cities[3]. Many of these institutions have already been struggling to fill their classrooms, with 19 regional universities having closed down since 2000. The ones that do remain are in dire straits, with not a single student applying for 26 majors from 14 universities. Specifically, ten majors from schools in Gyeongsangbuk-do, four from Gyeongsangnam-do, four from Jeollanam-do, two from Busan, four from Chungcheong-do, one from Gangwon-do and one from Jeollabuk-do received zero applicants. This is an eightfold increase over the number of majors with no applicants in 2020[4]. Although prestigious schools in Seoul are far from recording an overall student shortage, some majors are getting increasingly difficult to fill. This is because students often do not enroll even if accepted, instead opting to take a gap year to apply for a higher-ranked university or popular majors with guaranteed employment, such as medical school. In 2023, 28.8% of students accepted into Seoul National, Yonsei, or Korea universities chose not to enroll, with 643 students from Yonsei and Korea University taking a gap year to apply for medical school or Seoul National University[5]. Top universities in Seoul are resorting to additional enrollment periods to fill up the spots left by students who did not enroll, leading to a mass influx of students from lower-ranked institutions both in and outside of Seoul. In turn, this has increased the outflow of students from regional universities, worsening their enrollment shortage. 

Reasons for low enrollment

   Perhaps the greatest reason for low university enrollment is the overall decline of Korea’s student population, stemming from an increasingly low birth rate. The number of students aged 6 to 21 in Korea has been on a constant decline for the past three decades, going from 13.1 million in 1990 to 9.9 million in 2010 and 7.9 million in 2020[6]. Although the number of university-age students will remain relatively stable at around 400,000 until 2035, it is expected to drop to the 300,000s starting from 2036 and further plummet to 261,000 from 2040 onwards[6]. Compounding the issue for regional universities is the flocking of Korea’s student-age population to urban areas. The concentration of people in major cities has increased steadily since 2019, during which the percentage of Koreans living in urban areas eclipsed 50% for the first time. Young people aged from 15 to 34, many of which are university students, recorded the highest levels of migration[7]. 

   Another major factor contributing to the university enrollment shortage is prestige, and the opportunities that come with it. Throughout Korea, universities in Seoul are considered to be more prestigious and conducive towards landing a stable, well-paying job upon graduation. Meanwhile, many students consider leaving the capital for higher education in the provinces to be a death sentence of sorts, due to the perception that doing so makes it impossible to secure lucrative employment in Seoul[8]. Such a tendency to prefer universities within Seoul is reflected in the competitiveness of applications; in-Seoul institutions recorded an average acceptance rate of less than 17%, while the numbers were far more lenient at 29% for those outside the capital. 

   Prestige does not stop at universities, extending to majors even within highly-regarded schools. Park Jun-hyung (Soph., UIC, Nano Science and Engin.) was initially accepted into Korea University’s School of Biosystems and Biomedical Science, but decided to take three gap years in order to get into medical school. When asked about his motivation for this decision, Park answered that a career as a medical practitioner would guarantee him a salary and opportunities far beyond what would be available to him as a biotechnology researcher. Likewise, even students accepted into prestigious universities are increasingly eschewing enrollment to target medical school; the greater social status, higher salaries, and almost guaranteed employment with little risk of being laid off are all alluring incentives for such individuals. During the additional enrollment period, students initially accepted into lower-ranked universities are promoted to the empty spots at higher institutions left by those taking gap years, a process that gradually trickles down the university rankings. Consequently, less sought-after regional universities see a massive exodus of students to more popular schools, further compounding their issue of low enrollment. 

Implications for universities and students

   Declining university enrollment has severe implications for both universities and students. A smaller number of students would likely lead to less tuition and financial difficulties, to the detriment of universities’ quality of education and research output. This is particularly concerning considering the prevalence of public universities in Korea, which the Ministry of Education puts at 85%, with their dependence on tuition being pegged at 56%. In a worst-case scenario, financial stemming from under-enrollment could lead to the mass closing down of under-enrolled universities. Presently, there are estimates that 50% of Korean universities will close down within the next 25 years. A forum hosted by Seoul National University even estimated that out of the 238 universities in the country today, only 190 will survive until 2042-2046[9]. 

   For students at struggling regional universities, the constant movement of their peers to institutions in major cities could have devastating consequences for their academic productivity, as the flow of ideas and information would slow down to a trickle. Self-esteem issues from being “left behind” could also lead to declining mental health. For those who are looking to transfer or take a gap year, the increased length of study may delay or even derail future career plans, while accumulating tuition fees would place a financial burden on them and their family. From the government’s perspective, regional universities’ enrollment woes would amount to a tremendous waste of taxpayer money, as many such schools are funded through government investments. Finally, Korean society as a whole will increasingly struggle with academic elitism, or the widespread belief that there is no point in attending anything other than a top-tier university. Such elitism would entail a shift away from education aimed at cultivating knowledge and developing students’ potential, to a hollow system in which students study for the sole purpose of attaining prestige, social status, and money. In other words, learning would be reduced to a mere means to an end. 

Potential solutions

   On a more positive note, there are a variety of viable solutions for counteracting the university enrollment crisis, many of which are already being trialed by the government. Professor Rhee Byung-shik (Prof., College of Education Science) recommends providing monetary aid to universities, for the purpose of keeping them afloat and improving quality of education despite lower amounts of student-paid tuition. Presently, the Korean government has approved a ₩15 trillion financial aid package for troubled universities. Further decreasing the enrollment quota is another course of action, with the Ministry of Education having already finalized a cut of 16,197 students until 2025[10]. 88% of the decreased amount will be reserved for universities outside of Seoul that have been most affected by low enrollment, including schools in Busan, Ulsan, Chungcheong-do and Daegu[11]. In the long term, Rhee advocated a data-driven approach to higher education policy. Here, statistical data regarding the flow of students out of regional universities would provide policymakers with a more concrete idea of the enrollment crisis as it develops, thus making them better equipped to enact appropriate reforms.

   Meanwhile, individual universities suffering from a lack of students could take steps to incentivize enrollment, mainly through expanded financial aid in the form of scholarships. Rhee also points out the need to deepen students’ sense of belonging towards their school, to reduce the leakage of students from regional universities. He further stresses that academic and social integration programs, similar to Yonsei’s Residential College (RC)[11] system, could be greatly effective in deepening students’ ties with their school and the peers around them. Although implementing such programs would take time and money, Rhee firmly believes their contributions to school spirit, camaraderie, and student retention will more than make up for the investment. 

   Another logical course of action would be to plug in the gaps left by insufficient domestic enrollment by boosting international student enrollment. Yonsei provides a benchmark for such an approach, having taken a multitude of measures as of late to attract students outside of Korea. Universities could ramp up promotion by creating dedicated social media accounts for foreign students, as exemplified by Yonsei’s @yonsei_global Instagram account that delivers handy admission information and school news. Much like Yonsei’s Global Leader’s College (GLC), schools could also create separate divisions or majors that cater solely to international students. Further incentives could be provided through support systems for foreigners, such as aid in procuring entry Visas or Korean language education programs. Taken together, such measures would go a long way toward bolstering student intake from abroad, by instilling in potential applicants a sense of trust in Korean universities’ willingness to embrace them and provide the support necessary to thrive in a new environment. 

[1] Chungcheong Today

[2] MS Today

[3] Veritas Alpha

[4] News The One

[5] U’s Line

[6] Statistics Korea

[7] Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy

[8] The Korea Herald

[9] Maeil Daily

[10] Sedaily

[11] Residential College (RC): A community-driven education program offered to all first-year students at Yonsei